View full sizeKjerstin Gabrielson/The OregonianThis raised grassy area in Bethany Village is where California-based Taco Bell wants to build a new restaurant. Some Bethany residents are fighting the proposal, saying it doesn't fit with the neighborhood.

A last-minute campaign by some Bethany residents to stop construction of a Taco Bell restaurant doesn't appear likely to succeed.

Despite a mini-flood of telephone calls and emails directed at Washington County planners, the restaurant is a permitted use in the area and will, in all probability, be approved.

"We understand there is sentiment out there that some people aren't crazy about this particular use," said Stephen Roberts, Washington County land use spokesman. "But this is an exercise in whether it complies with applicable code standards, which it does."

Neighbors opposed to the California-based company's application, however, say they aren't about to give up yet.

"This is a very family-oriented community and something like a Taco Bell just won't fit in here," said Bethany resident Byron Wong. "Taco Bells are open as late as 3 a.m. There is nothing else like that in Bethany Village."

Wong said he didn't learn of the application until earlier this week, when his wife opened a formal notice that had been sent out by the county to all residents living within 500 feet of the proposed restaurant.

He immediately contacted the head of his homeowners' association and, from there, started notifying anyone he could think of to enlist support in trying to block the application.

A flier attached to an email blast listed a variety of reasons why the project should be scrubbed. Among those were increased traffic congestion in the area, an infiltration of "unhealthy junk food in our neighborhood," proliferation of litter from the type of disposable containers Taco Bell uses and creation of a "teen hangout" that will increase "petty crime."

Bethany resident Jeffrey Petrillo, in a letter to the county, said the application should be rejected because a Taco Bell at that location is inconsistent with the Bethany Community Plan. He also argued that the location has inadequate parking and that a traffic study should be completed before any further action is taken.

Time, however, is not on the side of those opposing the project. The 15-day comment period for members of the public to weigh in on the issue ends Thursday.

The development application filed with Washington County is for a 2,263 square foot restaurant at 4804 Northwest Bethany Blvd. The restaurant, if approved, would sit on a lot that is nearly five acres in size.

In the past, that lot has been used for a local produce stand.

The applicant is Steve Pulcheon, who is listed as construction manager for Taco Bell in the Los Angeles area.

Pulcheon did not immediately return phone calls to comment either on the project itself or local opposition to it.

Taco Bell was founded by Glen Bell in 1962 in Downey, Calif. The company currently serves more than 35 million customers per week in approximately 5,600 restaurants in the United States, according to Taco Bell's corporate website.

Added Wong, "At this point, we're not really sure what we can do since time is so limited. We just know that this particular use is wrong for this particular area."